"Child, unless it's someone you absolutely trust, do not let anyone know you possess such a heaven-defying divine artifact until you have absolute power. Otherwise, everyone in the Cangxuan Continent will want you dead!" Elder Qin's voice was full of warning. "You must understand, the Tongtian Tower is an artifact that even cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage covet."
Xiao Man nodded thoughtfully. "Back then, when the Qin family was wiped out, could it have been related to the Tongtian Tower?"
Elder Qin fell silent. He had considered this question. The birth of a heaven-defying divine artifact would surely cause celestial anomalies. Coupled with his own sacrifice as an artifact spirit, the Qin family, despite obtaining the Tongtian Tower, lost a Soul Transformation stage expert. It was entirely possible that others, consumed by envy, had come to seize it.
"Therefore, no one must know you possess the Tongtian Tower!"
Xiao Man's expression remained impassive, but her heart was in turmoil.
This was not something she could control. After all, one of the people who knew about the Tongtian Tower's existence was her enemy!
This person was likely searching for her all over the world right now, wishing to flay her and scatter her ashes!
Elder Qin, seeing Xiao Man's silence, couldn't help but frown. "Child, have you perhaps already told someone about possessing the Tongtian Tower?"
"It was precisely because of the Tongtian Tower that I came here," Xiao Man looked at Elder Qin. "Ancestor, someone was chasing me at the time, and he followed me to the Cangxuan Continent. He used all sorts of means, just to obtain the Tongtian Tower from my hands. I don't know if he informed anyone else."
"Why didn't you kill this person?" Elder Qin asked angrily. Keeping such a person alive was digging your own grave, wasn't it?
"Junior indeed wished to kill him, but he was too cunning and escaped from my grasp time and again. I was even tricked by him and brought to the Cangxuan Continent, unable to return home." Xiao Man spread her hands, saying with great helplessness.
"Forget it. Few can resist the allure of the Tongtian Tower. If that person has also arrived in the Cangxuan Continent, he will surely know what the Tongtian Tower signifies. As long as he is not greedy, he should not tell anyone about the Tongtian Tower."
Xiao Man agreed, nodding. Feng Moran was both arrogant and selfish. He would know a great deal about the Tongtian Tower. Initially, he wanted to use the Tongtian Tower to exchange for an opportunity to come to the Cangxuan Continent. Now that he was here, he might not be willing to hand over the Tongtian Tower. Even if he informed the mastermind about the Tongtian Tower, the mastermind wouldn't be able to spread the news overtly. After all, there weren't a few strong cultivators in the Cangxuan Continent, but not too many either!
"Right, I must hurry out. My companions might not be a match for the demon ape." Xiao Man left the Tongtian Tower without saying goodbye to Elder Qin. The moment she emerged, she found the surroundings in disarray. Thick smoke billowed from the distant mountain walls, accompanied by the furious roars of the demon ape.
As soon as Xiao Man appeared, the demon ape seemed to sense her presence and charged towards her with lightning speed. The fierce wind it generated stung her face. Xiao Man gripped her dagger and, using her agile footwork, engaged the demon ape as it lunged.
The demon ape had been guarding the Scarlet Profound Fruit tree. Now that the tree was gone, it was convinced Xiao Man was responsible and wished to tear her to shreds. Yet, this human was incredibly cunning, slippery as an eel, and impossible to catch. That damned little snake also appeared from time to time to bite it, making it incredibly agitated despite its thick hide.
The demon ape desperately pounded its chest, letting out strange roars. Zhu Qing leaped onto Xiao Man's shoulder. "Master, hurry! It's calling for companions."
Before Zhu Qing could finish speaking, Xiao Man had already dashed far away. The demon ape pursued relentlessly, picking up stones along the way to attack Xiao Man. Xiao Man weaved through the hail of stones, dodging the attacks, but without any effective counter. At this moment, the three demon apes that had been lured away returned!
Four demon apes surrounded Xiao Man, leaving her with no escape!
"Master, we're done for. Do you think they'll spare us if you return the Scarlet Profound Fruit tree to them now?" Zhu Qing asked nervously. If it had known there was a high-level demon ape here, it would never have incited its master to steal the fruit!
"Why would I spit out treasure I've already obtained!" A glint flashed in Xiao Man's eyes. The four demon apes attacked simultaneously. Xiao Man took out a disk, pressed it to the ground, and a protective formation lit up. The four demon apes crashed into the formation, producing a violent clang.
Xiao Man, however, gave them no chance to recover. She quickly retracted the formation and lunged at one of the demon apes. Her dagger cleanly pierced its head, and she pulled it out. She then reactivated the formation, blocking the attacks of the other demon apes!
Roar! The leader, a high-level demon ape, seeing its companion killed, became enraged. It swung its fist and slammed it heavily onto the protective formation. Under the demon ape's fierce assault, the formation trembled slightly. If this continued, it would not hold.
Xiao Man picked up Zhu Qing. "You go and entangle it. I'll deal with the other two first!"
Zhu Qing looked resigned to its fate. It was no match for the high-level demon ape, but it dared not disobey its master's orders. Thrown out of the protective formation, it immediately revealed its true form and began to entangle the high-level demon ape. Xiao Man, meanwhile, seized the opportunity to retract the formation and scattered a handful of powder. She had brought this poison from Yangming Valley, and she refused to believe it wouldn't poison these demon apes!
However, reality slapped her face again. The poison that could fell a Foundation Establishment expert was useless against a demon ape!
"Master, I've bitten it countless times, and it shows no signs of poisoning. The poison is ineffective against them!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Xiao Man soared into the air, landing on the head of one of the demon apes. Her dagger plunged fiercely into its eye. The demon ape, in pain, flailed its limbs, trying to grab Xiao Man. Xiao Man quickly leaped away, landing on another demon ape's shoulder, drawing the simultaneous attacks of both. However, she used their misaligned movements to make their attacks land on each other.
"Master, I can't hold on much longer!"
Xiang Jian and the others had originally lured the demon apes away, but the demon apes suddenly abandoned them and ran back. Sensing something was wrong, the group rushed back, only to see the Bamboo Joint Snake King and Xiao Man struggling against the demon apes!
"Hurry and help!" Xiao Man shouted.
Xiang Jian drew his sword and charged forward to assist Xiao Man. Xiao Man, meanwhile, turned her attention to the high-level demon ape. This demon ape was very intelligent and possessed strong leadership qualities. It had to be killed first.
Xiang Jian, at Qi Condensation stage seven, was struggling against the demon ape. One blow felt like his bones were shattering. He swallowed the blood mist in his mouth and charged again.
Poison Lady and the others arrived and joined the fray. Originally, it was two people to one demon ape. Now that Xiao Man had killed one and was grappling with the Bamboo Joint Snake King for another, there were two left. One of them had its eyes blinded. While it was still difficult, it was not impossible for them to handle.